“ATHENS: “Greece Denies Pushing Migrants into Turkey”, Greece’s coast guard refuted allegations from the Turkish defense ministry on Monday (Jul 22) that it forcibly pushed back migrants from the island of Lesbos into Turkish territory. Tensions between the two countries have escalated over border control and migration policies.”
Earlier, Türkiye’s defense ministry uploaded a drone video on platform X, alleging it shows a Greek coast guard operation where a Greek vessel pushed a boat carrying migrants off the north of Lesbos island into Turkish territorial waters.
“The Turkish Defence Ministry stated on X, ‘Our coast guard command was promptly informed, and the immigrants in question were rescued by our coast guard boat upon arrival in the area.'”
A senior Greek coast guard official responded, stating: “This is not a pushback; it is the detection and prevention of illegal entry into Greek territorial waters.”
Greece, one of the gateways into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, has been accused by aid groups of forcibly ejecting migrants at its sea and land borders, also known as “pushbacks,” an illegal practice.
Greece and Türkiye, both NATO allies, have longstanding disputes over several key issues. These include disagreements over the delineation of their continental shelves, disputes related to energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, conflicts over flight rights in the Aegean Sea, and the complex situation surrounding the ethnically divided island of Cyprus. These issues have periodically strained relations between the two countries, despite their shared membership in NATO.
The latest incident comes two days after the 50th anniversary of Türkiye’s invasion of part of the island after a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Greek Cypriots advocate for reunification under a federal system, while Turkish Cypriots favor a two-state settlement.
